and learned, for instance, he was paid $1.6 million to be a lobbyist for freddie mac and they said that's not what we want in the white house. >> i can feel it over the last three days and it's began to close again. just as we did in south carolina, there was this huge wave of dishonest romney ads, people backed up and -- frankly if that stuff was true, i wouldn't vote for myself. >> well, the occupy movement -- as you see there, back in full force in oakland, california. police cracked down on protesters over the weekend firing tear gas and rubber bullets into the massive crowd. about 400 people were taken into custody. in what authorities call the biggest mass arrest in city history. and that's not the only place where protesters are standing their ground. we're going to take you live to washington in just a few minutes. in northern florida, it looks like the aftermath of a

bombing. look at these pictures. but these vehicles were actually incinerated by fire after a string of crashes on interstate 75. ten people lost their lives in the wreck. drivers say they could barely see anything because of smoke from a nearby fire. >> there was absolutely no warning whatsoever. it went from being just, i mean literally i don't know how far, whatever you could see as far as you could on the interstate to just nothing. rolled my window down and actually started hearing thuds and crashes and it was so thick i couldn't even tell you where they were coming from. >> well, almost nine months after the u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden, defense secretary leon panetta says he's convinced someone in pakistan's government knew the terrorist leader was hiding in a huge compound near pakistan's military academy. in a cbs "60 minutes" interview, panetta also discussed a local doctor who played a key role in helping the u.s. verify bin

laden's presence. pakistan is considering putting the doctor on trial for treason. >> i'm very concerned about -- about what the pakistanis did with this individual. this was an individual who, in. helped provide intelligence on what was very helpful with regards to this operation. >> a guilty verdict in the trial. the 58-year-old all sentenced in life in prison for the murder of his first wife and his three teenage daughters, one as young as 13. prosecutors a i the girls were killed for becoming too westernized. the world's nuclear watchdog has sent its top officials to iran. they're trying to clarify part of the country's nuclear programs. this comes amid concerns that

tehran is using it as a cover to develop nuclear weapons. they insist they need it for medical research. and the movie "the help" was a big winner at the s.a.g. awards in los angeles last night. >> and the actor goes to -- the cast of "the help." >> it's a great movie. the film is about the treatment of maids in mississippi during the civil rights era. viola davis won best actress beating out michelle williams. the screen actors guild winners are chosen by their acting peers. all right. well, here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. today's question, do we need an anti-establishment president? carol costello joins us from washington with more. hi, carol. >> hi, isha, you hear it all the time, we need a president who is not part of the washington establishment, a leader.

a president who can change the way washington works. democrats thought that man was barack obama, herman cain thinks that man is newt gingrich. >> speaker gingrich is a patr t patriot, speaker gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas. >> cain and other conservatives say despite gingrich's decades in congress, his post as speaker of the house and his consultant work in d.c., gingrich is more into change than candidate obama ever was. sarah palin put it this way on fox. >> we need somebody who is engaged in reform and isn't afraid to shake it up, shake up that establishment. so if for no other reason, rage against the machine, vote for newt, annoy a liberal, vote newt. >> as political opinion contributor puts it, he, gingrich, has weird ideas, and

he's unpredictable. the conservative base figures while romney, who is the establishment candidate will do a modest job reining in the budget, gingrich might whack the thing until it begs for mercy and releases all its wasteful programs. does the country need an anti-establishment president to get things done? how many times do you hear democrats wish hillary clinton would have been elected president? could she have more effectively dealt with a hostile congress? so the talk back question, do we need an anti-establishment president? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> yeah, i'm looking forward to hearing what people have to say. well, here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering for you first. a bill that would let businesses refuse wedding services to same-sex couples. and a standoff for the occupy movement in washington, protesters have less than an hour to decamp from two parks

there. and then, behind obama strategy. some say the president is sitting back watching them destroy each other. even after you take it off. neutrogena® healthy skin liquid makeup. 98% saw improved skin. does your makeup do that? neutrogena® cosmetics.

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be yourself nonstop. american airlines. ...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. call it a resurgence of the occupy movement. well, more than 400 protesters arrested in a massive police crackdown over the weekend in oakland, california. and on the other side of the country, a deadline is looming for professors caprotesters in e nation's capital. brian, as we said, there's a deadline rapidly approaching, what's going on there?

>> reporter: isha, a lot of buzz around here. people are anticipating the police moving in in less than an hour. what we're told is they're going to come through here and look for signs of camping. and that's the ordinance they're going to be enforcing. if you have bedding here, if you have some personal effects in your tent, you may be targeted for arrest, your tent may be taken down. we're told that some tents that may have signage on them, which would indicate a 24-hour vigil status, may be left alone. but if you have bedding or personal effects out, that's not going to exempt you. you have people anticipating the police moving into this area in a short time. i've got one of the protesters here who has been here since october. john, what are you going to do if and when the police move in in less than an hour? >> we've been talking about that, many of us have packed up our things so we're not in disagreement with the order to decamp. however, some of the protesters have decided to challenge the status quo and set up tents and

camping equipment around macpherson statue. >> reporter: and one of the things we've heard is that the reason they're moving in here is the local businesses, the d.c. government have complained about petty crime in this area but unsanitary conditions in this area and that's the reason you're being targeted. how do you respond to that? >> well, that may be true. however, i've worked on k street for a good 15 years at one of the businesses, and pet the i crime has always been a problem here in downtown washington. also, there's been complaints about rat problems. rats have been in this park since before then. there's also been complaints about health conditions and the destruction of grass and the property. however, the grass will grow back, the parks can be repaired, but occupy stands for economic issues in the country. some of the lives of people who have been damaged by losing homes and losing jobs are not going to be easily repaired. >> reporter: thank you for talking to us.

that's the mood around here, a lot of people moving around with signs, getting ready, there's a confrontation possibly brewing here. the police did a walk walk through, and when that happened, there were some protesters blowing whistles, taunting the police, the police didn't take the bait at all. they were taking pictures getting the lay of the land and some of the places they may be targeting, we should have confrontations brewing in less than an hour. >> brian, from your shot, it's not is entirely clear how large that encampment is. give us a sense of how big it is, how many people have been camped out. >> reporter: i mean, you've got at least probably three dozen tents erected here at least. that's a rough estimate. you've got people determined to stay here and resist and just do whatever they have to do they say to maintain their vigil here. to maintain their protests. they seem to be undaunted by this. if i had to give you an

estimate, i'd say a couple hundred protesters have been here for four months straight through some of the worst weather that the city has to offer. it's been a fairly mild winter so far, but we've got a little bit of it left and they're determined to stay here throughout. we're going to see what happens later today. >> brian, we're going to continue to follow the situation. we'll check back in with you a little bit later on, brian, appreciate it. thank you. checking stories our affiliates are covering across the country. joplin, missouri, eight months after the worst tornado in u.s. history devastated the town, what's left of the hospital is being demolished. the hospital took a direct hit. it's now being rebuilt two miles from the old location. the hospital has been part of that community since the late 1800s at three different sites. looking for some new digs in california. well, why not live like a president? gerald ford's former home is up for sale. it will cost you, though, i should tell you, almost $1.7

million. but, you know, they say it's all about location and you can't beat it. on the 13th fairway of the famous thunder bird country club. okay, now, i want you to stop and listen. ♪ my love has come along ♪ my lonely -- >> and that is one and only christina aguilera singing etta james' song "at last" as part of a tribute to the singer at her funeral service over the weekend. james died earlier this month of complications from leukemia. well, the fights have gotten down and dirty one day to go before florida's primary. accusing one another of dishonesty. rick santorum and ron paul are trailing, but staying in the

race. joining us to talk about the republican battle and what it means for president obama is democratic strategist and cnn contributor james carville. james, always great to see you, thank you for joining us. all the latest polls show mitt romney with a double-digit lead over newt gingrich. what is your sense? what was the key to turning around romney's fortunes for florida? because they were flagging badly just a week and a half ago? >> well, i think three keys. first is, he was aggressive in the debate. looks like gingrich was aggressive in south carolina, took his foot off the pedal as my colleagues said. republicans tend to reward that kind of thing. equally important, he outspent gingrich by a huge amount of money. and third, we don't like to admit it, but we saw it again in iowa, negatives work. and so the combination of his being aggressive in a debate, superior financial resources, and going after gingrich in a very aggressive, negative way paid off and that's been a lesson of this campaign. >> how are you reading the fact

to shift to gingrich for a moment that in the face of all of that, the endorsement by herman cain who was once part of this republican race still wasn't enough to kind of like shift that momentum for gingrich? >> romney's had a gazillion endorsements, didn't do a lot of good. that's one of the lessons we're taking away here, endorsements probably don't count that much. you have these endorsements and how they've done after them. i think it'd be hard to discern if they're particularly meaningful. >> well, a lot of people are saying romney has this wrapped up. it looks good for him right now. let me ask you what it would mean for newt gingrich to lose in florida just how damaging it is going forward. >> -- the only person in this field that has any chance to be the nominee is mitt romney. that doesn't mean they're not going to stay around. obviously if romney wins, it'll affect gingrich's fund raising and stuff, but he's mad and

spitting nails now. and my sense is that he'll keep going on. and, you know, he'll have a chance to come back somewhere else. i remember 1992 we lost connecticut to jerry brown and that was fairly deep in the process. so i suspect he'll keep going. paul who is not really dependent on contributors from political people will keep going with his strategy accumulating delegates. so this could go on a little bit longer. i hope it does, it's kind of fun to watch. >> what does that mean for the eventual nominee? does the nominee on the republican side come out stronger or weaker? >> i would say that most republicans are not happy with the way this process is going now. but as it gets deeper into it, gingrich will not have the kind of resources that he has now. will probably turn into more of a nuisance than somebody who is really challenging. and paul is bringing in people that don't normally participate in the primary. my sense is that romney's

probably going to have a little bit clearer path ahead. >> you described how you're enjoying the theater of all of this. let's talk about president obama and his strategy. i want to show this cartoon on the cover of "the new yorker." echoing what you were saying, james, it shows the gingrich and romney fighting it out on the football field while he's sitting back, laughing, clutching a beer. is this good for the president to see this long, drawn out race? >> i think it's helpful. but remember, once this stops and the gun starts on the general, people will tend to forget this. they'll carry some impressions in of romney he'll have to deal with. there'll be some changes in that, but then the president's going to be sort of mano mano. it is obviously going to be

biggest factor will be the economy. i think the president is in sufficiently good position now that romney would have a difficulty beating him. there's a sort of feeling i'm getting coming out of the white house they might be a touch too confident right now. if i were them, i would run a little bit -- >> what do you mean? >> well, just with some of the comments i've seen and just that the whole sort of general thing that -- and there's some reason for this confidence. i just believe you should run, you know, 25% scareder than you really should be. and maybe that's just kind of a catholic thing with me. we have a prejudice toward bad news or something. you talk to people and they're riding high and feel sky high. the economy going into 2012, looked at 2011, we showed some improvement. we continue to do the same thing in 2012, they'll probably be just fine. but there are a lot of things

that could go wrong here. i'm always perpetually nervous. if you're president obama, you can be happier than you were three months ago. >> james carville, thank you. >> appreciate it. thank you very much. now, picture yourself behind the wheel when all of a sudden you can barely see a thing. that is what happened on this stretch of florida highway. survivors of the deadly wreck tell us they are lucky to be alive.

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we have some new developments in a story we've been following for you involving accusations of discrimination by the east haven, connecticut, police department. four police officers were arrested for alleged mistreatment of latinos. jason's been working the story for us. bring us up to speed. >> well, another bad day for officials in east haven. remember last week it was east haven's mayor, today it's east haven's police chief galo. an announcement coming down that the police chief of 14 years will be retiring. that is what his attorney is saying, retiring, he's saying he has not been charged in any way. this is not some sort of admission of guilt in terms of announcing his retirement at this point. and recall that the east haven police department has been under incredible scrutiny because of

this federal probe into civil rights violations. and now we've got the police chief of 14 years stepping down. i want you to listen to what the mayor had to say about this just a few moments ago. >> forward with the new leadership, an opportunity for the town to move forward with the healing that is necessary given recent events. >> so, again, you've got the mayor saying that the police chief has decided to step aside at this point because this community needs to go through a process of healing. the police chief is an unnamed coconspirator in this federal investigation and that the police chief, simply, isha, did not want to be a distraction. that's why he's stepping down at this point. just to backtrack, there's a federal information going on into the east haven police going on since 2009. so far, four officers have been

charged with allegations such as targeting latinos, assault, things like covering up evide e evidence, harassing latina businessmen in the community. so a lot of serious charges going on here. and then, just last week, you have the incident with the mayor. because the mayor was asked what he was doing for the latino community. his answer got him into a lot of hot water. i want you to listen what happened during that exchange. >> what are you doing for the latino community today? >> i might have tacos when i go home. i'm not sure yet. >> he said he might have tacos when he goes home. that caused quite a stir. a number of critics stepping forward and saying he should, in fact, retire, and in retaliation for that, a number of tacos -- some 400 tacos delivered to the mayor's office last week. that was the response to that. you can see some of those tacos being delivered to his office right there. the mayor apologized for those comments saying it was taken out

of context. he is saying at this point he wants to move forward, wants to help the citizens of east haven move forward and go through a process of healing. we'll see if he's now able to do that now that the police chief has stepped aside and he has apologized. isha? >> we'll continue to follow this story, jason joining us from new york. thank you. a new hampshire bill would give anyone the right to deny wedding services to a couple based on his or her beliefs. we'll look at how far this could go. y. our science teacher helped us build it. ♪ now i'm a geologist at chevron, and i get to help science teachers. it has four servo motors and a wireless microcontroller. over the last three years we've put nearly 100 million dollars into american education. that's thousands of kids learning to love science. ♪ isn't that cool? and that's pretty cool. ♪

welcome back, everyone, this is a one-story structure fire ongoing right now in paramount,

california. we're looking at this intense blaze as it fills your screen with the smoke that is coming from it. we know that firefighters are responding to this blaze, the building burning near l.a. the specific location to give it to you, it's paramount, california. what we know at this point is it is a single structure building that is on fire right now. and it's -- the information i'm just getting from my producer, she's saying specifically a door and frame as you see there that is on fire there. firefighters on the scene trying to battle that blaze. we're going to continue to follow this, we do not know the cause of the fire right now. but as you see, it is an intense blaze. you can see the smoke filling the sky there. that is paramount, california, that you are looking at. we're going to continue to follow that and bring you developments as they come in to cnn. stay with us for that. well, in florida right now, a lot of questions and even more

grief. investigators are trying to figure out what caused these deadly crashes in the pre-dawn hours sunday. look at those pictures. look at the carnage. ten people were killed in all of that. a police officer who helped with rescue efforts said visibility was about zero because of a smoke from a nearby fire. i want to bring in our own chad myers. chad, this is a really tough story to tell looking at those pictures. so much grief. take us back. what do we know about the conditions that were around when this accident happened. >> unlike the fire, we just looked at in california where the smoke was going up and blowing away. this smoke was trapped near the surface due to what's called an inversion. the inversion in florida is actually air that's cooler at the surface, warmer just a little bit aloft that will not allow the smoke to go away. this smoke from the fire went right over i-75. it was in the middle of the

night. it was already dark. people were driving in the smoke that they couldn't see until their highlights were right there as they drove into the smoke, there were already cars crashed inside the smoke screen. so cars continued to pile in one after another with these now more fires involved as these vehicles caught on fire. >> and people i've spoken to on the team for the show are saying this interstate, people drive really fast on it. what do you know? or was it driving on any interstate in the u.s.? >> i would drive back and forth from the villages where my parents lived and back here to atlanta and i wouldn't say they go more than 80, 75 or 80. but there's an area right there near gainesville that's very low and almost swampy at the time. some of this fire is in the swamp, though the fire is 100% contained, the wind is blowing 15 to 20 miles per hour.

some of that could catch on fire again today. we could have the same type of problem. even this morning, temperatures were very cold at the surface, the smoke didn't go away and i-75 was closed and could be closed again tonight in the overnight hours when some of that smoke that's still coming out of the forest fire and the swamp fire. gainesville is 14 inches below normal for rainfall for the past, you know, 12 months, so it's already a drought. when it catches on fire, it continues to burn. >> and the passes? >> good today, blowing the smoke away, but when the night falls, winds go down, they almost stop, and the smoke will hang right near the surface again. >> we're going to continue to follow this as i know you are, chad, appreciate it. really tough story. thank you. well, newt gingrich says don't count him out in florida. we are live from the campaign trail with just one day to go before the florida primary. and retirees living well in florida, what they want to hear from the candidates and the

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we are counting down until tomorrow's florida primary. it's the biggest prize so far in the republican race. poll after poll show mitt romney leading newt gingrich by double digits. but gingrich says he's closing the gap. joe johns live from tampa. the next stop for the gingrich campaign. gingrich has been stepping up his attack, labeling his dishonest. >> reporter: he's trying to remain optimistic, but romney has a double-digit lead which was a big problem for gingrich in this state. he talked about that optimism just a little while ago. let's listen to the sound bite. >> we need people power today.

we're closing -- we have closed the gap despite all of the ads and all the falsehoods, we're within five points. >> reporter: now, most of the polls out there clearly show that gingrich is behind romney in double digits. so trying to remain optimistic, he's got five stops here today, it's clear he does have some support here in the state, just a little while ago. tea party patriots basically reported the results of their straw poll that shows in their subgroup here in florida, gingrich is certainly leading with something like 30% of the vote, 35% over the other republican contenders. nonetheless, isha, uphill battle for him here. and we'll have to see what happens tomorrow. >> yeah, he's battling it out, that's for sure. we want to let our viewers know that his pensacola event has started. and let's send up a picture of him. there he is there addressing those that have attended that event. we're going to keep an eye on it to see if anything comes out of

it. listen to his message that he's delivering today. we have seen this dip in the fortune of the gingrich campaign. is it simply a case of the negative ads he's been subjected to from the romney campaign? or are we really being exposed to a structural problem in the gingrich campaign itself? is it something deeper is what i'm asking? >> reporter: i think the best guess, isha, to that question is all of the above. gingrich himself has said the ads are a huge problem. he calls it carpet bombing. but we also know that gingrich did not have good organization on the ground here in florida compared to mitt romney. the other thing i think it's important to say is that south carolina where gingrich did so well is a very different state from florida. south carolina borders georgia, which is where newt gingrich is basically from. he speaks the language of the people in south carolina. here in florida is a completely different story with a lot of

different subgroups and demographics that make it much harder for newt gingrich really to do well. it's a little bit of everything quite frankly. plus, the romney people have really just been in a full-court press to try to get back on track after south carolina. isha? >> it appears to be working. joe johns joining us there from tampa, florida. we appreciate it, joe, thank you. well, retirees make up an important group of voters in florida. and the presidential candidates know it. live from tampa. brooke, i know you've been talking to retirees about what's on their minds heading into tomorrow's primary. what have they been saying to you? >> well, first of all, isha, twist my arm, made me spend an entire day in beautiful, tampa, florida. the golf course, because that's where you find the retirees, the 65 and older crowd. and it's so important to underline this point that the 65 and older crowd is an important voting block. you look at the population here

in florida, they make up 17% of the population. but you look at how many voters voted in the 2008 republican primary, 1 out of 3. so they're here, one name i never heard when i was out speaking with the men and women yesterday. they never mentioned ron paul. which is interesting, he's not really a player here, he's focusing on the caucus states, and they seem pretty split, mitt romney and newt gingrich. take a listen. >> so you're registered to vote? >> right. >> who are you liking? >> newt. >> and so with her talking about newt gingrich, were you cringing earlier? >> no. i'm not cringing. >> you're not cringing? >> no, i think reality is that because of the divisiveness in the party, i think obama's unbeatable. >> i would like them to say what they would do for our country, and then they're on different policies and how they would handle different things and run

the country instead of getting into each other's baggage. >> now, isha, candidates decide -- i said what are the issues number one that's going to get you out to the polls tomorrow? of course we heard about health care, that's obvious. but we also heard about, these are depression-era babies. they learned very early on to be frugal, very conservative financially, and so they want to make sure we pay down our nation's debt, talk about smaller government and finally the economy. and the reason we went to this particular retirement community, we wanted to highlight a number of retirees with successful stories. i think it's putting it bluntly they have a very nice nest egg. but they're concerned about the economy because they have kids, grand kids, and great grand kids and these kids don't have jobs, some of them down here, obviously foreclosure a huge issue. they want the economy, the economic climate in the country to improve and a candidate who can make that happen. >> joining us there from tampa, enjoy the sunshine, i know it's

hard, you know, the golf courses and all -- >> very hard. >> i know, but you're struggling admirab admirably. brooke baldwin joining us there. thanks, brooke. well, tomorrow join the best political team for live coverage of the florida primary. wolf blitzer leads our coverage along with erin burnett, candy crowley, and john king. the whole team will be here tomorrow night at 6:00 eastern with "john king usa." the best part of any great meal?

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well, now it's time for interesting legal news on our radar. first to new hampshire, where a house bill would give anyone, anyone, the right to deny wedding services based on their beliefs. "this bill permits an individual to choose not to provide accommodations, goods, or services for a marriage. if doing so would violate his or her conscience or religious faith. i'm pleased to say joining me now to help us make sense of this is sunny hostin. help us understand this. it seems pretty broad to me. and some people are saying this could be used specifically to target same-sex couples. >> it's extremely broad.

and i had to pull it and take a look at it because it's so broad, but deceiving in the simplicity. it doesn't specifically say same-sex marriages. it just says any marriages. you don't have to provide these services if you're a company or individual to any couple if they're getting married and that marriage sort of violates your religious belief. now, what does that tell me? that tells me it casts such a wide net, it's so broad that people will be allowed to now discriminate on the basis of race, on the basis of faith, on the basis of sexual orientation, all of which are illegal right now because we're protected under federal law under the civil rights act. so it's really something i think people need to be very, very concerned about. while targeted at same-sex marriages, which is wrong, it's illegal, it could be expanded. my parents, for example, could not be provided services under this bill if they wanted to get married in new hampshire. >> it gives immunity to people who want to act --

>> many my view it's a license to discriminate. i don't think it will pass because you can't discriminate on the basis of race, sexual orientation, you can't discriminate on the basis of faith. so because it's so broad, i think that federal law preempts it and the civil rights act of 1964 will likely prevail. but they're going to introduce it and they want it to be made into law january 2013. so it's something i will watch, no question about it. >> we'll continue to watch that just as i create new words. the obama administration standing by plans to cover the cost of birth control. but catholic groups, ngos are unhappy about this. explain this. this too is quite complicated. >> that's right. it's quite complicated. apparently at masses across the

country, a lot of the priest's letters really trying to bring this to the body. i was in church at mass on sunday, but i didn't hear about it. basically the obama administration wants religious affiliated groups to provide medical coverage to female employees that include birth control. so, of course, the catholic faith is against -- but it doesn't apply to churches, isha. it doesn't apply to elementary schools or secondary schools that are catholic. it would apply to religious-affiliated organizations like catholic hospitals whose primary mission isn't necessarily to provide religious services to its members. and so i think in that sense, it will likely pass. and the obama administration's giving all, you know, catholic organizations about a year to react and to institute this plan. but i think it will pass. >> just allow them to vent so to speak. >> to sort of adjust, i think. and actually, yes, the right to

vent, and i think we'll hear a lot of discussion. it's a very political year as you know, the supreme court -- there are a lot of challenges to the 2010, you know, obama health bill that are coming up. so we won't hear the end of this, but it's a time for the catholic faith to sort of grapple with this issue. >> okay, i know you'll be following for us -- >> i will, i will. >> great to have you in the studio. >> i know, we never get to be onset together. you're either here or i'm in new york. >> we see you at social functions. >> we won't talk about that. >> it's a pleasure. thank you. >> see ya. well, as many as 9 million americans have their identities stolen each year. yes, you heard right, 9 million. that's according to the federal trade commission. and everyone is at risk, even your kids. felicia taylor is here with tips on protecting your identity. felicia? >> yeah, isha, it's kind of a scary thing, it happened to my

mother. it's not just adults, which i shall are also targeted for i.d. theft, as well. and with children's identities such as their social security numbers, they are, get this, 51 times more likely to have that stolen than adults. that's according to a carnegie mellon university report. children are targets because often this goes undetected for a long time. there's no track record like their credit card or job applications or government benefits. so when they do go possibly to apply for a student loan, they might get denied having racked up debt they didn't even know about because there was no record of them for them to check. >> when it comes to kids, adults, what's the best way to be proactive and to prevent this? >> yeah, first thing is open communication. talk to your kids about sharing any kind of personal information when they're online or particularly on their cell phones and even in text messages. also, watch for mail in their name. they shouldn't be getting credit card applications, right? so if you begin getting pre-approved credit cards in

their name or other offers, they may, although it's not a guarantee, they may have an open credit file, and certainly children shouldn't have that. check with the credit open credd certainly children shouldn't have that. check with the credit bureaus if you might be concerned. but no matter what, if you get documents like this, shred them. they shouldn't be getting any kind of mail at all. even if there is incorrect data, it can still be used to obtain fake cards. shred any financial statements, like your 401(k)s, pay stubs, tax-specific documents more than seven years old. this comes from the consumer report and it's commonsense, really. make sure to keep your recent year's tax information just in case, and i hate this word, that you could be ought dited. >> shred those documents that you don't need. it's funny because i'm from england and we don't do that. we don't shred. it's something that i'm trying to get accustomed to.

>> definitely. >> fell leash thicia, thank you. we'll check back with you. do we need an anti establishment president? carol costello has your answers ahead. ♪ he was a 21st century global nomad ♪ ♪ home was an airport lounge and an ipad ♪ ♪ made sure his credit score did not go bad ♪ ♪ with a free-credit-score-dot-com ♪ ♪ app that he had ♪ downloaded it in the himalayas ♪ ♪ while meditating like a true playa ♪ ♪ now when he's surfing down in chile'a ♪ ♪ he can see when his score is in danger ♪ ♪ if you're a mobile type on the go ♪ ♪ i suggest you take a tip from my bro ♪ ♪ and download the app that lets you know ♪ ♪ at free-credit-score-dot-com now let's go. ♪ vo: offer applies with enrollment in freecreditscore.com™. that's going to have to be done by a certain date. you always have homework, okay?

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you've been 10u7bding sounding off with our talk back question. carol costello has your answers. >> do we need an anti-establishment president? ken says, isn't this the concept that got us into trouble with obama? although i am his supporter and

admire many of the things he has done, that requires going up against the establishment and one has to know how to manipulate that and have the clout to do it. from early, while it sounds good, it isn't practical. nearly 500 people in the establishment that would also have to change. from jordan, if newt gingrich is anti-establishment, they understand what that means and they are going to have to make up a new phrase. all the candidates say they are anti-establishment before they get into bed with the establishment. go to facebook.com. i'll be back with you in 20 minutes. >> carol, appreciate it. thank you. while political attack ads are hitting full force in florida, we'll have your political ticker just ahead. i love that my daughter's part fish.

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>> just one day before the florida primary and the romney and gingrich campaigns are stepping up the attacks. now they are using members of their campaign teams in interesting ways. mark preston joins us in atlanta. mark, great to have you in the studio but what is going on? >> there has been a lot of asid dickness but now acidickness.

let's listen to this from the congressman from utah. >> gingrich is more qualitied. >> you are following him instead of romney. >> no, just going to offer a little perspective. >> on why you think gingrich should be president? >> on why i think romney should be president of the united states. >> usually you would have a reporter asking those questions but now you have gingrich saying, what are you doing here? not to be outdone, a supporter of romney let's look to what he has to say. >> i mean, mitt romney seems to have a congenital defect. >> wow. >> as you can see, it's very loud and you can see there's a lot of background noise but it just shows you that this is getting very nasty on the

campaign trail. >> social media and you want instant reaction and push back immediately and they are not waiting. if you have your person there, you can tweet it out and keep the momentum going. >> and i want you to talk about rick santorum because he's canceled all of his events in florida with his daughter being hospitalized. >> his 3-year-old daughter was put in the hospital with pneumonia. she has a condition similar to down's syndrome. we should probably stop and pause and give some prayers to the santorum family. a very sad situation. >> yeah, it is. we're going to continue to follow the condition of little bella. mark, thank you. >> thanks. for the latest political news, you know where to go. cnnpo cnnpolitics.com. top of the hour, i'm isha.

the occupy movement rising again. this video is from saturday in oakland, california. police fired rubber bullets into the massive crowd. about 400 people were taken into custody in what authorities call the biggest mass arrest in history. that's not the only place where protesters are standing their ground. it is playing out as we speak. in florida right now, a lot of questions and even more grief. investigators are trying to figure out what caused a series of deadly crashes in the predawn hours on sunday. ten people lost their lives in this horrible incident. police say visibility was about zero because of smoke from a nearby fire. one driver describes a terrifying scene. >> i rolled my window down and

actually started hearing thuds and crashes and it was so thick i couldn't even tell you where it was coming from and then slowly there were explosions. >> 40 more people have been killed in syria today, according to an opposition group. the person who uploaded this video shows a protester shot by government forces. more than 5,000 people have died since the fierce government crackdown. the u.n. security council will take care of a resolution this week calling on bashar assad to step down. defense secretarily john panetta is convinced that someone in pakistan knew that he was hiding in the military committee. he also discussed a local doctor

who played a key role in helping verify bin laden's presence. pakistan is considering putting him on trial for treason. >> i'm very concerned about what the pakistanis did with this individual. this is an individual who help in fact provide intelligence on -- that was very helpful with regard to this operation. an american aide worker freed in somalia is now on her way home. jessica was held in denmark for three months. authorities in washington, the noon deadline for protesters to decamp has just passed. it is a very tense situation. brian todd is there for us. brian, what is going on? >> reporter: isha, it's coming to a crescendo.

the protesters are here and waiting in anticipation for the police to possibly move in at this hour and target protesters who they believe are camping out. they are going to -- the police are going to look for signs of betting, and might shut down some of the tents. these people are in here in anticipation of that because it's supposed to possibly happen at this hour. you have people here chanting, putting up this massive tarp and sign. we haven't really seen the likes of this in this square. the protesters moved in in october. we are hearing sirens. hold on a second. let's see if i can see anything. some of the protesters have said, here we come. >> brian, we hear the chanting and the drumming. what are the protesters saying

they are going to do? >> reporter: most of them have said that they are not going anywhere. we're not quite sure. a lot of them might have passive resistance. and the police did a walk-through here about an hour and a half ago. taking pictures of the lay of the land. the protesters yelled at them, blowing whistles says that they are not going to be coward by the police. we are not seeing any police activity at the moment. maybe our photo journalist can take a picture of the crowds gathering over there. the police were just sitting in their squad cars not doing anything. no indication right now that they are moving in right now. we're going to keep a close eye on this because protesters are

getting agitated at this point. >> for our viewers, explain why the police have decided to make this stand now. they have been there in these two squares, in these two areas since october of last year. so why now? >> reporter: well, it kind of came to a head in recent days because there was a congressional hearing last tuesday. at that hearing, the park service got some pressure from congressman darryl issa, the oversight reform committee, to do something about this. the park service has been reduck tanlt to do that because they don't want to be seen as infringing on free speech but they are pressuring the park police to send the police in here to take away some of the tense that they deem is unsanitary and now to move on

the protest sisters. brian todd is on the seen there. we'll continue to check in with you. the noon deadline has passed. the park service officials to come in and clear that encampment. brian, we'll check back in with you shortly. thank you. here's your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. today's question, do we need an anti-establishment president? hi, carol? >> hi, isha. we hear it all the time. a president who can change the way washington works. democrats thought that man was barack obama. herman cain thinks that man is newt gingrich. >> speaker gingrich is a patriot, speaker gingrich is not afraid of bold ideas. >> cain and other conservatives say despite the decades in

congress, his consultant work in d.c., he's more into change than candidate obama ever was. sarah palin put it this way on fox. >> we need somebody who's engaged in reform and isn't afraid to shake up that establishment. so if for no other reason, rage against the machine, vote for newt. annoy a liberal. vote newt. >> as politico contributor puts it, he, gingrich, has weird ideas. he's unpredictable. but conservative base figures, romney the establishment candidate, will do a modest job of reining in the budget, gingrich might just whack the thing until it begs for mercy and releases all its wasteful programs. how many times have you heard democrats wish hillary clinton had been elected president? could she, they wonder, as a

washington insider, have more effectively dealt with a hostile congress? do we need an anti-establishment president? facebook.com/carolcnn. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> looking forward to it, carol. thank you. >> sure. here's a rundown of some of the stories we're covering over the next hour. first, blinding smoke and a deadly crash on the florida highway. i'll talk to a man who was lucky enough to walk away. then this -- and the actor goes to the cast of "the help." >> and later, the big winners and losers from last night's sag awards. are those great-tasting little o's made from carefully selected oats that can help lower cholesterol. is it a superhero? kinda. ♪

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a young mantel man tells us that he's lucky to be alive. the worst interstate tragedy in decades. ten people lost their lives in a series of crashes along interstate 75. this happened in gainesville, florida. steven camp is joining me by phone. steven, so pleased that you can speak to us today. you said you never thought you'd get out alive, out of this accident. but also the thing that struck me in your comments is that you said this seemed to come out of nowhere. walk us through what happened? >> basically, me and my friend were coming north on 75 when there was a blinding slope. there were people stopped and everyone was waiting. and out of nowhere, cars didn't

stop down and it caused the situation that you saw. >> you said that, again, one of the things that really stood out for me is once the accident happened, you still couldn't see anything. but there was all these sounds. >> yeah. >> take us back to the scene. >> well, it was so crazy because it was so blinding outside that you could have someone literally standing next to you and you wouldn't be able to see them and really all you could hear was the cars just hitting each other, people screaming and you couldn't see anything. it was like blinding. you never knew what was coming from where and i think that was the scariest part because there was so much going on but you couldn't see any of it. >> and you and your friend were the passenger in the car. the car was hit twice. and you were both injured. talk to me about the condition you guys are in. >> well, i have to say that me and my friend were very blessed because a lot of people went through worse. but to be completely honest with

you, my friend made it out with a bruised lung and i made it out with a couple stitches in my leg and bruised knee and i can honestly say that we left such a crazy situation with only those injuries. >> and to bring home for our viewers how sudden this accident was, you guys were talking to another driver in another car when your vehicle was suddenly hit? >> yes, ma'am. we were -- when we came to a stop, there were a couple other people stopped and there was a guy right across from us and he had his window down and actually my friend was sitting there talking to him and i half leaned over, just made small talk with them and just out of nowhere -- well, i can't say the darkness, but the blinding light, a car comes and smashes this guy literally almost under the semitruck. it was cries zee to be talking to somebody and see them get

smashed within seconds. it was crazy. >> how long did it take for rescue workers to make it to you guys? >> well, you can't really -- it took us about an hour to really get help. but they had people out there -- i mean, you can't really talk about time with them because the situation was so crazy. you have two sides of the interstate blocked up. how do you make a route and another route was closed, too, because of the same situation. i have to say for the situation and the time and that it took for them to get there, i think they did the best job that they could. it was about a good hour. >> i've got to ask about that guy that you were talking to in the car next to you. do you know whether he walked away from this accident? >> a lot of people ask me that question and i cannot honestly sit here and say i know what happened to him but if i had to go off by what i saw, i would say that he did not make it out of there but i pray that he did.

>> terrible situation and terrible scenes for you to witness. we hope you and your friend have a quick recovery. we appreciate you sharing your thoughts and recollection about what happened on that day. >> you're very welcome. >> he helped the cia locate osama bin laden. find out what the pakistanis are saying in a live report. ll day. guinea pig: row...row.took one, 8 months to get the guin: ..row. lile cbby one to yell row! guineaig: ro's kof strange. guinig: row...row. such a simple word... row. anncr: t an easierayof strange. save. get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. e u 15% or more on car insurance.

defense secretary leon panetta has confirmed publicly for the first time that a pakistani doctor was working with the cia to nail osama bin laden and that helped land the doctor behind bars.

here is leon panetta on "60 minutes". >> i'm very concerned about what the pakistanis did with this individual. this was an individual who, in fact, helped provide intelligence on -- that was very helpful with regard to this operation. >> cnn's reza is joining us. what have you been able to find out about the doctor's fate? >> reporter: isha, it's not clear what is going to happen to this doctor. we know he's been in custody for roughly eight months without being charged and it's become a sore spot with the u.s.-pakistani relations. they have treated him as a suspected criminal. his name is dr. akeel and he played a key role in the

operation that led to the killing of osama bin laden. it's not clear what he did but we do know that he tried to set up a vak fake vaccination campaign and the plan was for nurses to infiltrate the compound, extract some dna samples from bin laden's kids into an effort to confirm his identity. the plan didn't work. the pakistani officials were outraged and last year they charged him with investigating the bin laden raid suggesting that he be tried for treason. again, for eight months he's been in prison. over the weekend defense secretary leon panetta called for his release and that's where we stand at this point. >> reza, also notable is that he says that he is convinced that pakistan knew that he was hiding in that military compound. any reaction from pakistan about

that. >> reporter: all along, the pakistani leadership, civilian government have denied knowing that bin laden was in this compound, certainly deny that they helped him. some say perhaps some rogue elements within the security establishment, some retired officers knew his whereabouts and helped him. but there's absolutely no evidence so far to substantiate that. it's important to point out that in his interview over the weekend leon himself pointed out that, look, this is only my opinion. he said he doesn't have any facts to back it up. he's convinced that someone in a position of authority must have known that he was there. >> reza sayeh, thank you. you may have noticed credit card companies sending you more offers than ever, promising zero interest rates and rewards. but should you bite? christine romans has today's

smart is the new rich. >> a lot of people are telling me that they are starting to get credit card offers again for the first time in three or four years. what is your advice to people who were maybe in trouble with credit card debt but banks are reaching out to them again? >> you need to walk those right over to the shredders. it's a one-way trip. for the discipline consumer who pays the balance full in every month, is not tempted to spend money that they don't have but instead looks at these reward programs to get paid for transactions that they are going to make any way, now is the time to shop around. many of them have introductory bonuses to get you to sign up. there is cash for the disciplined consumer afraid to run up debt. >> the credit card companies aren't doing it because they like you. >> no. it's a business. as a consumer, you have to make a decision for yourself. this is a time to get a lower rate on that credit card because it's the consumer that has

top-notch credit but the credit cards are drawn to them. if you have strong credit and you're looking to get the debt paid off in 2012, how is the time to shop around for a lower rate. we are just one day away from the florida primary. why it's likely to be a game-changer. in america, we believe in a future that is better than today. since 1894, ameriprise financial has been working hard for their clients' futures. never taking a bailout. helping generations achieve dreams. buy homes. put their kids through college. retire how they want to. ameriprise. the strength of america's largest financial planning company.

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keep up the pressure on the government. later, famous environmental activist erin brockovich is trying to solve why girls are suffering from a twitch all from the same new york high school. while the stakes are high in florida's primary, we're not just talking about the 50 republican delegates up for grabs. florida is likely to be a game-changer but the four surviving gop candidates are looking ahead to the upcoming races. candy crowley has more. >> reporter: florida may break the tie but it won't change the game. they intend to keep on keeping on. they can all see the white house from the campaign headquarters. >> we will beat barack obama. >> reporter: newt gingrich thinks he can muddy up mitt romney's prospect while divvying up delegates.

>> once you get beyond florida, they are all proportional representative states. this is going to go all the way to the convention. >> thank you for coming. >> reporter: looking to caucus states where dedicated followers might produce results, ron paul also depends on the law of political gravity. >> we're going to study and see what comes of it and who knows what will come of the other two candidates. there's been a lot of ups and downs. so maybe there will be some downs and we might be able to pick up the pieces. >> i don't come from, you know, a background of wealth. >> reporter: steady, sure, and under funded, rick santorum needs a miracle but like iowa and a tumble from the top, leaving space for him to move in. >> we're doing great. we are in this for the long haul. we're not going to spend every dime in a huge state like

florida. >> reporter: ever the ceo, romney is a numbers cruncher. he patiently awaits a return on his investment. >> this is a campaign that is going to go the distance. i'm confident that we're going to get the delegates we need and despite all of the ups and downs of a campaign, in the final analysis, if i do my job, we'll be able to take the prize. >> reporter: even if the florida results do not change the players, they will surely change the game. >> game on. >> reporter: florida is not rick santorum's iowa, a lousy record of choosing winners. >> thank you, new hampshire. >> reporter: nor is florida romney's new hampshire discounted by critics as a hometown win. and florida is diluted by naysayers as an over sampling of evangelicals. it's popular, diverse, and hard hit by the economic downturn. there is a constituency.

florida is the no excuses state. a good win for romney would re-establish him as the front-runner, and a nice win for gingrich would make him more than a one-state wonder. florida will change everything even if we don't notice it first. candy crowley, cnn, washington. >> the latest polls show mitt romney leading but newt begin rich says don't count him out. paul steinhauser joins us live from tampa. give us the latest on how this is shaping up. >> reporter: well, we have four polls indicating the same thing. mitt romney with a double digit lead over gingrich among people likely to vote in the primary here tomorrow. take a look from the latest, quinnipac university. romney is on top at 43%. you can see he's 14 points ahead of newt gingrich with former

senator rick santorum and congressman ron paul each at 11%. go to the next screen. this is interesting, too. before you think it's over, wait, look at that. 7% say they are unsure and 24% say i'm backing this candidate or that candidate but i could change my mind. so, isha, we have a day to go before the voting begins in earnest but one out of four people say that they could change their minds. >> that's an important figure. a lot of voters have already cast their ballots. how is early voting going and how is that going to affect this race? >> yeah, it is interesting because we didn't see this kind of stuff. there was no early voting in iowa. here are the numbers from the department of state in florida as the end of last week. 250,000, over a quarter of a million people have returned their absentee ballots and 150,000 took part in early voting. and over 400,000 people have

already voted and cast their ballots. that's interesting because a lot sent it in before the surge in south carolina. poll indicates that romney may be doing better with gingrich with this early voting. for gingrich to win, he would have to have a pretty big victory tomorrow on primary day. >> people say that florida is win or takes all. >> reporter: yeah, it makes a big difference. this is the biggest haul. 50 delegates. that's bigger than we saw in the first three states. but you have to win to get the 50 delegates. because of that, rick santorum and ron paul are low on the polls. they are not even campaigning here. they have moved on. they are now come paining campan nevada. caucus states as well. they hold their kaukcaucuses a

from tomorrow. they are moving on with hopes of doing better in these states in early february. isha? >> paul steinhauser, joining us from tampa, florida, thank you. one actress may give merl stre mirl streep a run for their money. stay with us. our environment. across america, these technologies protect air - by monitoring air quality and reducing emissions... ...protect water - through conservation and self-contained recycling systems... ... and protect land - by reducing our footprint and respecting wildlife. america's natural gas... domestic, abundant, clean energy to power our lives... that's smarter power today. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness,

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well, hollywood's waking up a bit sleepy this morning after another big award show. and some leading ladies aren't getting new competition. kareen wynter is joining me. who was the big winner? >> i have to say "the artist." it's been a front-runner but after last night's screen actor guild's award, "the help" took home the outstanding award by cast. which is a top prize in the film

category, viola davis, we've been hearing her name a lot. she won outstanding performance or actress in a leading role and octavia took hope an award for supporting actress. this is actually her first time as a leading lady and boy did she shine in this role. some of the other big winners, "the artist" jean dujardin. these actors have a lot of momentum going into the oscar's. >> they certainly do. but i know, kareen, the s.a.g. awards also covers tv screen. >> "modern family" won and hbo's board empire and walk both winners last year as well. also making back to back wins

are 30 rock's alec baldwin and betty white who recently turned 90, looking stunning. she also won in the same category last year as well. winning a trophy here for your film work is a good indication, ishaa, that you're winner. they took home the corresponding officer so that could mean that viola could upset meryl streep. it could be a tight race between "the artist" and "the help". >> and for the women it means that they will stepping up their wardrobe choices for the oscar's. >> viola davis already said that she has her dress picked out? >> she does? >> yes. i can't wait to see it. >> you can get your

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welcome back, everyone. we want to take you straight to washington, d.c., from mcpherson square. occupy protesters are gathering there in mcpherson square since october but on friday they were given a deadline of noon today by national park service. officials basically were told

that they have to remove all camping materials from the site. and in fact they were told that any temporary structures that were there in mcpherson square, they must leave one side of the temporary structures opened. officials say it's all about taking necessary steps to ensure public health and safety. so at noon today they were told by noon today they were to have removed all of those camping materials. otherwise, officials would move in and clear them. we were told by some of those camping out in mcpherson square, that they would peacefully resist if they went in to make that move. we haven't seen that happen yet. we have our brian todd there on the scene. he's carefully monitoring what is going on. he did say when we spoke to him at the top of the hour that it was rather tense there. they had erected some kind of canopy over the statue in

mcpherson square. but we can't make out that from this vantage point. we'll look at what is taking place there in washington, d.c. it's 42 minutes past noon. the deadline was noon to move out their camping materials. stay with us for that. now, the clock is counting down and accusations are heating up in the florida primary. but we want to separate political facts from campaign fiction. for that, let's bring in bill adair who joins us with a look at how some of the recent claims are measuring up. bill, good to see you. let's start with this. from the pro gingrich super pac. it says, romneycare sent costs spiralling out of control. true or false?

>> we gave that a false on our truth-o-meter. the reason is that the claim is suggesting that this is something that romneycare is responsible for. romneycare being the massachusetts health care plan. but, in fact, costs have gone up all across the country. there's nothing specific in massachusetts that makes the rates any higher in that state, according to the statistics that have been looked at. we give that a false. >> what about this, from one of romney's radio ads. he said newt gingrich said spanish is the language of the ghetto. is that true or false, bill? >> we gave that a mostly true. it's referring to a speech that gingrich gave in 2007. he never exactly said it but it was interpreted by many people as a reference to spanish and gingrich later came out and explained his comment in a spanish language message.

so mostly true for that one. >> and it was in fact an issue that came out in the cnn debate last week between the candidates. finally, bill, indiana governor mitch daniels and the response of the state of the union address. he said, nearly half of all persons under 30 did not go to work today. how does that rate? >> well, that one got our lowest rating, pants on fire. his suggestion there seems to be -- at least many people would interpret that to mean that the unemployment rate was nearly 50% for that age group and that's just not the case. of course, a lot of people in that age group are in school, high school. they are in college. the unemployment rate for people that age is actually about 13.6%. so far short of the 50% that mitch daniels said. so pants on fire for that one. >> so false mostly true and pants on fire. we got that. bill adair, thank you. a deadly game of cat and mouse. we'll show you the syrian

protest movement like you've never seen it before. a littlee about a band... ♪ an old man shared some fish stories... ♪ oooh, my turn. ♪ she was in paris, but we talked for hours... everyone else buzzed about the band. there's a wireless mind inside all of us. so, where to next? ♪ not quite knowing what the next phase was going to be, you know, because you been, you know, this is what you had been doing. you know, working, working, working, working, working, working. and now you're talking about, well you know, i won't be, and i get the chance to spend more time with my wife and my kids. it's my world. that's my world. ♪

40 more people have been killed in syria alone. that's according to an opposition group. arwa damian gives us an inside look. >> reporter: we check to make sure that we are not being followed. down a dark alleyway, we change vehicles. we're in the heart of damascus. this 21-year-old is a first-year medical student.

but he's witnessed -- >> a lot of horrible things. what does it mean when your friends are hurting and you can't do anything. so some people between my two hands. and that was really hard to me especially my friends, my friends which i thought were i have nothing to do. >> reporter: he lost his determination. 11 months into the uprising, he has it down to a science. spotters are prepositioned. >> more than 20 million 20 people in the neighborhood. >> reporter: there are posters and other materials hidden in a safe house along with tiny printed leaflets ready to be scattered. >> reporter: so you're saying, haven't they, the regime, filled

the land with enough bad things? demonstrators move in groups of two or three to avoid attracting attention. >> they go to the other streets and hide. >> reporter: at the signal, the street erupts into activity. everyone has a duty. the revolution's flag is above the crowd. it's the syrian flag before the party took over more than 40 years ago. the leaflets rain down like confetti. >> this loosely translates to, we are slaves for you, oah lord. they feel as if the abe rab league, the international community has all abandoned them. they say at this stage all they have left is their courage, their determination, and their

faith in god. every night the protesters do this. their numbers are small. their determination is not. >> this is not just what people think is a demonstration. we are facing bad regime so he have to do this. one of the hardest things that we have to do daily. >> reporter: oh how nice is freedom, the crowd chants. just ten minutes after it started. the government might be actually moving in so they are moving as fast as possible. >> reporter: they leave the flag behind to make a point that even if just for a while they did it. they are just telling us that we have to go faster. the government is moving in from all sides right now. another day of cat and mouse in the deadly country of syria.

>> arwa damon reporting from damascus there. well, you've been sounding off on our talk back question. carol costello is here with your responses. carol? >> hi, isha. the talk back question of the day, do we need anti-establishment president? adam says, i think what people really desire is a true leader. and how about someone who has been faithfully working among the establishments since 1976 without ever caving into it, someone with ideological integrity and thus restricting the establishments power? i'm not going to say who that could be but i'm sure you can easily guess. i'm thinking ron paul. from nick, we need someone who sees the decay in washington and wants it out.

this from karen, there is no such thing. our system does not allow for it. and from robert, his record proves it. jack key says, no elected official today is anti-establishment. they would never get into the establishment if they were. keep the conversation going. facebook.com/carolcnn and thanks, as always, for your comments. >> carol, appreciate it. thank you. high school girls suddenly getting sick and no one is sure why. now environmental activist erin brockovich is on the case and she's got some theories about what is going on. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ in here, machines have a voice... ♪ [ male announcer ] in here, medical history follows you... even when you're away from home. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities, creating and integrating solutions, helping business, and the world...work.

rethink possible.

. checking stories our affiliates are covering across the country, in missouri after the worst tornado in history devastated the town of joplin, what is left of st. johns mercy hospital is being demolished. it's being built two miles away from the original location. looking for some new digs in california? listen up. why not live like a president? gerald ford's former home is up for sale but it will cost you almost $1.7 million but you can't beat the location. on the 13th fairway of the famous thunderbird country club. something to consider. high school girls in upstate

new york suddenly and mysteriously getting sick. now as the school system takes action, a familiar face is adding to the debate. environmental activist erin brockovich. let's give you some background of what is happening to these girls. jason carroll is covering this. >> i couldn't stop stuttering. >> on the left side of her mouth and neck. >> reporter: doctors said that her condition was brought on by stress but once that gave way, it gave way to uncontrollable twitching. >> reporter: and this goes on all day long? >> all day long. >> reporter: this individual was taken in the hospital by her mother soon after she brought her daughter in for twitching. it was on that day that a nurse told her that she was not the only one brought to the hospital

with the condition. >> she said said, not to alarm you, but you're the first girl in a week that has come in with this. >> reporter: in all, 12 girls from the senior high school has exhibited similar symptoms. they were from different grades and some didn't know each other, but some did, including thera's friend, lydia parker. >> the last time i went to a neurologist is they said they are not sure but they will keep looking into it. >> the school system has hired a company to review environmental testing of the school and community. meanwhile, erin brockovich says she thinks she knows what is causing the girls' problems. >> in 1971, there was a very serious train derailment that caused one ton of cyanide to spill and 45,000 gallons of tce. >> that's -- >> yes. >> is that what was in your

movie? >> no. >> it's a well-known carcinogen. can it also cause these same kind of symptoms? >> i have read that it can be associated with neurological disorders. >> so here we have a train derailment 40 years ago. how does a train derailment 40 years ago -- nearby this school, near this community? how far away? >> the actual location of the site of the derailment is four miles from the school. >> four miles from the school. there's a massive train derailment with spectacular exposure of known carcinogens and toxins. how did that then become an issue for the high school? >> well, this is what we're looking into. and they did not get out to this spill site until the '90s, as did the epa. >> so it took them 20 years to go out there and invesgate this? >> it took them 20 years